Basketball Portraits

Here are some outtakes from shooting basketball portraits at Augustana College in Rock Island today.

Softball Heroes

Allison Snyder, 8, watches a ProFastpitch X-Treme Tour player walk into the dugout during a tour event for the professional softball league at Greenvalley Sports Complex in Moline on Friday night, October 24. The professional tour team includes eight USA Olympic softball players.

GI Mom

Students applaud with support as DeAnn Clark, 16, walks down a hallway at United Township High School in East Moline on Thursday morning, October 23 with her mother Laura Powell, an English teacher of 14 years at UTHS. Powell is a Major with the United States Army Reserve and will be deploying to Iraq for one year with the Multi Function Support Command out of the Rock Island Arsenel in early November.

The Office

Top: The things that sit atop my computer monitor (They've been sitting there since at least May, but I reckon it's been quite longer than that.)
Bottom: Photo Dept. Mood Lighting

I spent a lot of time today working on a backlog of stuff from the last month or so and therefore spent more time in the office than usual.

Music, Pints, Food, Friends and Vintage Clothing Stores

Champaign-Urbana at f/1.8

Steam Train to Silvis

Train stuff from Saturday. See the video here.

Louie Bellson

Legendary jazz drummer Louie Bellson performs at the Redstone Room at River Music Experience in Davenport on Wednesday night, October 15. Belson, a Moline High School graduate, has played with a long list of famous jazz musicians including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman and Louie Armstrong just to name a few. Bellson developed the double bass drum kick pedal system at age 15, earning him an A in his Moline High School art class. The double bass drum system is now widely used among rock drummers.

The Organic Dairy Man

I got to make a portrait of an organic dairy farmer in Port Byron, Ill. today. Despite the rain I managed to bring out a studio light without ruining it.

Cutline:
Bob DePauw operates an organic dairy farm in Port Byron. DePauw believes in organic farming because he feels it's his responsibility to leave the land he uses in good shape for the next generation.

The Straight Talk Express

John McCain made a stop in Davenport today. Only the traveling press corps and specially picked pool photographers are allowed free rein in shooting. I, along with most of the other local media, were relegated to risers in back. Such is national politics.

Friday Night Lights

I of course shot Friday night high school football again tonight. This play came nicely to the the sideline for me and I shot this with my wide angle from my hip as I moved away. For some reason I like it- layering, etc. It's a different football shot than I normally get. It's a little blurry, but it doesn't bother me too much.

The Golden Years

Rocky, a retired Rock Island Police drug enforcement dog, relaxes at Happy Dog Bakery, a specialty dog biscuit bakery and doggie day spa at 1628 15th St. Place in Moline on Tuesday afternoon, October 8. Rocky is an 8-year old Belgian Malinois and retired from the force in April after helping in a record number of drug busts in Rock Island County.

Barber Shop

Here's a shot from yesterday for a story about long-time businesses and residents of Rock Island's west end, which too often gets a bad reputation as a rough place.

John Morrison trims Charlie Babers (Both on left) hair at Morrison's Barber Shop at the corner of 9th St. and 13th Ave. in Rock Island on Friday morning, October 3. Morrison has operated his barbershop in the same location for 16 years and has lived in the west end of Rock Island since 1963. Babers is a native west-ender, and although he's since moved, he still comes to Morrison's to get his hair cut and to "pester" his old friend.